N.C. Lottery to introduce $10 scratch game

Well, consider that there are 100 counties in NC, each filled with numerous ticket retailers. The average scratch-off ticket has about 5-20 top prizes. Your odds of getting that big jackpot prize are fairly slim. There are plenty of other monetary prizes to win, but again, they are scattered across the entire length of NC, with the smallest prizes the most plentiful.

That's right, the odd of winning jackpot prizes are slim, it's a lottery, not a giveaway. But it remains a mathmatical certainty that with a 52% payout, the money going back to the players is higher than one with a 50% payout. I'm not sure how else to explain it.

North Carolina Lottery needs a daily game badly - these scratch offs are a joke. I live here and I frequently buy scratch offs - a $50 investment will yield you about $7 dollars in winning. I've tried on a consistent basis and all I see in my winnings is $2, 5$, $7 and $10 every 50 scratch offs. I'm finished with NC lottery - I'll take my chances somewhere else.

If you live in North Carolina play the South Carolina or Virginia Scratch offs their Lottery is much more stable. North Carolina is just collecting money!!!!!

I agree that we need a daily game. Pick 3 and/or Pick 4 would be fantastic! Will they actually do it? Who knows. I'll keep playing powerball, but I'm finished playing scratch offs.

NC will be getting Carolina Cash 5 in October and Carolina Pick 3 in November, they didn't say anything about Pick 4 as of yet. Read the article below.

Lottery commission approves two new games, pay raises

By MIKE BAKER : Associated Press WriterJul 11, 2006 : 6:30 pm ET

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Responding to high demand, North Carolina's lottery commission approved two new in-state numbers games Tuesday, with plans to make them both available to players this fall.

"We're getting so many calls asking when we're going to have the new games, we've got to satisfy the people playing them," said lottery chief Tom Shaheen.

The lottery commission voted to bring out a five-digit game -- called Carolina Cash 5 -- in early October. A month later, a three-digit -- dubbed Carolina Pick 3 -- would follow. Each game would have a daily drawing, with better odds than the popular multistate Powerball numbers game.

While Powerball sometimes boasts a nine-digit jackpot, Shaheen said the smaller five-digit game would be popular with a maximum prize of $720,000.

"Obviously it doesn't have the lure of the Powerball, but people like the odds better and they don't mind winning a few hundred thousand dollars," Shaheen said.

The three-digit game, which Shaheen had originally scheduled to release in the spring of 2007, has a $500 prize.

Both games are nearly identical to those played in South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

The commission also approved comprehensive incentives and merit-based pay raises for its employees. Depending on performance, some workers considered outstanding could see 10 percent pay raises after one year of work.

The average raise would be about 5 percent, Shaheen said, in line with what state employees received in this year's budget.

Sales staff could see up to a 4 percent raise as well as incentives for performance. A sales rep could receive a maximum bonus of $8,000 -- about 20 percent of their salary. The sales director could receive a 20 percent increase, or about $16,000.

"This is about rewarding those who add value to the organization," Shaheen said.

Two members of the commission questioned whether the raises were too much. Commissioner Bridget-Anne Hampden said that the increases were "very generous," especially for someone just doing their job.

Max Cogburn said if the raises continue annually, the lottery would become the highest-paid state agency.

There may be a typo in the NC website's PDF,because it lists the Pick 3 as starting in Oct. and the Pick 5 in November.I think the story posted yesterday had it the other way.I wonder which one is correct?